Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer science and, more specifically, to techniques for visualizing dynamic datasets.
Description of the Related Art
Networks are a pervasive concept in everyday life. A network generally includes a collection of nodes that are connected by a set of links between those nodes. On a daily basis, people both use networks and participate in networks. For example, many people use the World Wide Web on a daily basis. As is well known, the World Wide Web is a collection of documents that are linked together by hyperlinks. In this context, the documents of the World Wide Web could represent nodes, while the hyperlinks could represent links between those nodes. In another example, many people work for large corporations that embody a particular management hierarchy, thereby participating in a network with a particular structure reflective of that hierarchy. In this context, employees within the hierarchy could correspond to nodes, while managerial relationships could correspond to links between those employees.
Understanding the structure of networks is a relevant task given the degree to which people are exposed to networks on a daily basis. However, few tools exist for assisting people with this task. Conventional approaches simply display a very large image that includes numerous nodes along with a tangled web of links between those nodes. Given the sheer complexity of a typical network, such approaches are often intractable and may cause more confusion than insight.
As the foregoing illustrates, what is needed in the art is a more effective approach to visualizing a network.